Latest news with #JointBaseElmendorfRichardson
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Ahead of Putin Meeting, Trump Shrugs Off Russian Threats in U.S. and Abroad
President Trump on Wednesday suggested that he was powerless to control President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ahead of a planned meeting on Friday in Alaska, saying he could not convince the Russians to stop killing Ukrainian civilians or hacking American court records. Mr. Trump did warn of 'severe consequences' if Mr. Putin did not abandon his grueling invasion of Ukraine during their discussion, scheduled to be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. But Mr. Trump was dismissive when asked to address matters of national security and the horrors of war, raising questions about whether he has the leverage or the will to convince Mr. Putin to end the invasion. Asked whether he could convince Mr. Putin to stop targeting civilians, Mr. Trump said that it was a discussion he had already had with Mr. Putin. Russian forces have pounded Ukrainians with drones and missiles, sending civilians scrambling for shelter. Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin have spoken at least five times since Mr. Trump was sworn in for a second term in January, and Russian forces have pushed forward all the while. 'I've had a lot of good conversations with him,' Mr. Trump told a reporter during an appearance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington — one that was originally about announcing this year's class of Kennedy Center honorees. 'Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street. So I guess the answer to that is no, because I've had this conversation.' Mr. Trump struck a similar tone when asked if he had seen reporting in The New York Times on Tuesday that Russia was behind a widespread breach of federal court systems. The system that was exposed holds highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes. 'Are you surprised? You know?' Mr. Trump said. 'That's what they do. They're good at it. We're good at it. We're actually better at it.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
What to Know About the Putin-Trump Summit in Alaska
The US-Russia summit in Alaska is happening where East meets West — quite literally — in a place familiar to both countries as a Cold War front line of missile defense, radar outposts and intelligence gathering. Whether it can lead to a deal to produce peace in Ukraine more than 3 1/2 years after Moscow's invasion remains to be seen. Here's what to know about the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, the first summit in four years: When and where is it taking place? The summit will take place Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson outside Anchorage, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. It played a key role in the Cold War in monitoring and deterring the Soviet Union. It's Putin's first trip to the US since 2015 for the UN General Assembly in New York. Because the US isn't a member of the International Criminal Court, which in 2023 issued a warrant for Putin on war crimes accusations, it's under no obligation to arrest him. Is Zelenskyy going? Both countries confirmed a meeting between only Putin and Trump, despite initial suggestions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might take part. The Kremlin has long pushed back against Putin meeting Zelenskyy -– at least until a peace deal is reached by both sides and is ready to be signed. Putin said last week he wasn't against meeting Zelenskyy "but certain conditions need to be created" and were "still a long way off." That raised fears about excluding Ukraine from negotiations. Kyiv and its European allies stressed that peace cannot be achieved without Kyiv's involvement. Zelenskyy was in Berlin for virtual meetings Wednesday with Trump and European leaders to try to ensure Ukraine and its allies are heard before the summit. The Ukrainian president told the group Putin "is bluffing" about his military might and the effectiveness of sanctions, and "is trying to apply pressure ... on all sectors of the Ukrainian front" to try to show that Russia is "capable of occupying all of Ukraine." In reality, sanctions are "hitting Russia's war economy hard," Zelenskyy said. What's Alaska's role in Russian history? It will be the first visit by a Russian leader to Alaska, even though it was part of the czarist empire until 1867, the state news agency Tass said. Alaska was colonized by Russia starting from the 18th century until Czar Alexander II sold it to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million. When it was found to contain vast resources, it was seen by Russians as a naïve deal that generated remorse. After the USSR's collapse, Alaska was a subject of nostalgia and jokes for Russians. One popular song in the 1990s went: "Don't play the fool, America ... give back our dear Alaska land." Sam Greene of King's College London said on X the symbolism of Alaska as the site of a summit about Ukraine was "horrendous — as though designed to demonstrate that borders can change, land can be bought and sold." What's the agenda? Trump has appeared increasingly exasperated with Putin over Russia's refusal to halt the bombardment of Ukraine. Kyiv has agreed to a ceasefire, insisting on a truce as a first step toward peace. Moscow presented ceasefire conditions that are nonstarters for Zelenskyy, such as withdrawing troops from the four regions Russia illegally annexed in 2022, halting mobilization efforts, or freezing Western arms deliveries. For a broader peace, Putin demands Kyiv cede the annexed regions, even though Russia doesn't fully control them, and Crimea, renounce a bid to join NATO, limit the size of its armed forces and recognize Russian as an official language along with Ukrainian. Zelenskyy insists any peace deals include robust security guarantees to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression. Putin has warned Ukraine it will face tougher conditions for peace as Russian troops forge into other regions to build what he described as a "buffer zone." Some observers suggested Russia could trade those recent gains for territory under Ukrainian control in the four annexed regions annexed by Moscow. Zelenskyy said Saturday that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." But Trump said Monday: "There'll be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody. To the good, for the good of Ukraine. Good stuff, not bad stuff. Also, some bad stuff for both." Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the Ukrainian categorically rejected. Kyiv won't give up territory it controls, he added, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion. He said discussions led by the US on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations. French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Trump was "very clear" in a virtual meeting with European leaders and Zelenskyy that the US wants to achieve a ceasefire. Macron added that Trump had been clear that "territorial issues relating to Ukraine ... will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president." What are expectations? Trump said Wednesday there will be unspecified "very severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to stop the war after the summit. Putin sees a meeting with Trump as a chance to cement Russia's territorial gains, keep Ukraine out of NATO and prevent it from hosting any Western troops so Moscow can gradually pull the country back into its orbit. He believes time is on his side as Ukrainian forces are struggling to stem Russian advances along the front amid swarms of Moscow's missiles and drones. The meeting is a diplomatic coup for Putin, isolated since the invasion. The Kremlin sought to portray renewed US contacts as two superpowers looking to resolve various global problems, with Ukraine being just one. Ukraine and its European allies are concerned a summit without Kyiv could allow Putin to get Trump on his side and force Ukraine into concessions. "Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace," Zelenskyy said. "They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work." European officials echoed that. "As we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: All temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "A sustainable peace also means that aggression cannot be rewarded." NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Sunday he believed Trump was "making sure that Putin is serious, and if he is not, then it will stop there." "If he is serious, then from Friday onwards, the process will continue. Ukraine getting involved, the Europeans being involved," Rutte added. Since last week, Putin spoke to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as the leaders of South Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan, the Kremlin said. That suggested Putin perhaps wanted to brief Russia's most important allies about a potential settlement, said pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The snowy remote army base where Trump will host Putin for talks
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at the remote Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a US military installation in Anchorage, Alaska. Elmendorf-Richardson combines the Air Force's Elmendorf base and the US Army's Fort Richardson. It is Alaska's largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people - about 10% of Anchorage's population. Read more: The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago. In fact, Alaska's Little Diomede Island is less than three miles from Russia's Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, showing how geographically close the two countries are. During the Cold War, the base was regarded as "particularly important" in defending the US against the then-Soviet Union, according to the Library of Congress. Despite this proximity, Putin will be the first Russian president to visit Anchorage. Some have criticised the US president's decision to hold talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Alaska. "It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'" said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus. "'We gave you Alaska. Why can't Ukraine give us a part of its territory?'" Although this will be Trump's first trip to Alaska since beginning his second term, he made several visits to Elmendorf-Richardson during his first term. Joe Biden and Barack Obama also visited; in 2015, Obama became the first US president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle during his trip. Elmendorf-Richardson hosts aircraft like the F-22 Raptor - a fighter jet the Air Force says "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft". The US defence department describes the area as having "picturesque, majestic, snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and plenty of wildlife". It also advises visitors attempting to drive to the base to bring emergency kits, food, blankets and extra fuel, as it is so remote.
Sky News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
The snowy remote army base where Trump will host Putin for talks
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at the remote Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a US military installation in Anchorage, Alaska. Elmendorf-Richardson combines the Air Force's Elmendorf base and the US Army's Fort Richardson. It is Alaska's largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people - about 10% of Anchorage's population. The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago. In fact, Alaska's Little Diomede Island is less than three miles from Russia's Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, showing how geographically close the two countries are. During the Cold War, the base was regarded as "particularly important" in defending the US against the then-Soviet Union, according to the Library of Congress. Despite this proximity, Putin will be the first Russian president to visit Anchorage. Some have criticised the US president's decision to hold talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Alaska. "It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'" said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus. "'We gave you Alaska. Why can't Ukraine give us a part of its territory?'" Although this will be Trump's first trip to Alaska since beginning his second term, he made several visits to Elmendorf-Richardson during his first term. Joe Biden and Barack Obama also visited; in 2015, Obama became the first US president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle during his trip. Elmendorf-Richardson hosts aircraft like the F-22 Raptor - a fighter jet the Air Force says "cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft". The US defence department describes the area as having "picturesque, majestic, snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and plenty of wildlife". It also advises visitors attempting to drive to the base to bring emergency kits, food, blankets and extra fuel, as it is so remote.
